• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.773-781
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• 2022

Anatomies of the vascular and lymphatic systems have been vital research topics in reconstructive surgery. Harvey was a pioneer who provided the earliest descriptions of the cutaneous vasculature in the 17th century. The concept of vascular territories of the skin was first described by Manchot. The radiographic injection method in cadavers was developed by Salman, who defined more than 80 vascular territories. The arterial system has been thoroughly investigated with the development of regional and free flaps. The concept of axial and random pattern flaps was introduced by McGregor and Morgan. Manchot's vascular territories were refined by Taylor and Palmer as the angiosome concept. Detailed information about the venous circulation is essential for reconstructive surgeries. The concept of intrinsic and extrinsic venocutaneous vascular systems was introduced by Nakajima and led to the development of the venoadipofascial flap. The importance of venous augmentation in flap survival was emphasized by Chang. The lymphatic system was discovered much later than the arterial and venous systems. Aselli was credited for discovering the lacteal vessels in the 17th century; mercury was popularly used as a contrast agent to distinguish lymphatic vessels for the next three centuries. A radiographic method in cadavers was developed by Suami. Lymphatic imaging devices are constantly upgrading, and photoacoustic imaging was recently introduced for three-dimensional visualization of architecture of superficial layers of the lymphatic and venous systems.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.253-260
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• 2020

Purpose: Soft tissue defects of the distal lower extremity are commonly accompanied by a fracture of the lower extremities. Theses defects are caused by the injury itself or by complications associated with surgical treatment of the fracture, which poses challenging problem. The reverse superficial sural artery flap (RSSAF) is a popular option for these difficult wounds. This paper reviews these cases and reports the clinical results. Materials and Methods: Between August 2003 and April 2018, patients who were treated with RSSAF for soft tissue defects of the lower third of the leg and ankle related to a fracture were reviewed. A total of 16 patients were involved and the mean follow-up period was 18 months. Eight cases (50.0%) of the defects were due to an open fracture, whereas the other eight cases (50.0%) were postoperative complication after closed fracture. The largest flap measured 10×15 cm² and the mean size of the donor sites was 51.9 cm². The flap survival and postoperative complications were evaluated. Results: All flaps survived without complete necrosis or failure. One case with partial necrosis of the flap was encountered, but the wound healed after debridement and repair. One case had a hematoma with a pseudoaneurysmal rupture of the distal tibial artery. On the other hand, the flap was intact and the wound healed after arterial ligation and flap advancement. A debulking operation was performed on three cases for cosmetic reasons and implant removal through the flap was performed in three cases. No flap necrosis was encountered after these additional operations. Conclusion: RSSAF is a relatively simple and safe procedure for reconstructing soft tissue defects following a fracture of the lower extremity that does not require microsurgical anastomosis. This can be a useful treatment option for soft tissue defects on the distal leg, ankle, and foot.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.150-158
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• 2015

Background Fat is widely used in soft tissue augmentation. Nevertheless, it has an unpredictably high resorption rate. Clinically, external expansion with negative pressure is used to increase fat graft survival. In this study, fat graft recipient sites were preconditioned by external application of negative pressure in order to test for improvements in vascularity and fat graft survival. Methods Negative pressure was applied randomly to either the left or right dorsal ear of 20 New Zealand male white rabbits at a pressure of -125 mm Hg. The negative pressure was removed one week after the skin perfusion was measured. The skin flap at each ear was elevated, and 1 g of fat was grafted above the dorsal perichondrium. After one week, the fat weight, microvessel density, mature vessel density of the skin and fat, and amount of glycerol released were measured. Three months after the grafting, the same measurements were performed, with the exception of glycerol release. Results The fat survival rate of the experimental group ($75.4%{\pm}3.9%$) was higher than that of the control group ($53.1%{\pm}4.3%$) (P<0.001). Skin perfusion was higher in the experimental group. The glycerol release in the experimental group was significantly higher than in the control. The microvessel density of the skin and fat was significantly higher in the experimental group. Three months after the grafting, the skin and fat mature vessel density was significantly higher in the experimental groups. Conclusions Negative pressure prior to fat grafting increased the vascularity of the recipient site, and, accordingly, enhanced fat graft survival.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.258-264
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• 2016

Background The survival rate of newborns with severe congenital abdominal wall defects has increased. After successfully addressing life-threatening complications, it is necessary to focus on the cosmetic and functional outcomes of the abdominal wall. Methods We performed a chart review of five cases treated in our institution. Results Five patients, ranging from seven to 18 years of age, underwent the following surgical approaches: simple approximation of the rectus abdominis fascia, the rectus abdominis sheath turnover flap, the placement of submuscular tissue expanders, mesh repair, or a combination of these techniques depending on the characteristics of each individual case. Conclusions Patients with severe congenital abdominal wall defects require individualized surgical treatment to address both the aesthetic and functional issues related to the sequelae of their defects.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.171-176
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• 2012

Congenital syngnathia refers to the fusion of bony tissues, a rare disorder with only 41 cases reported in the international literature from 1936 to 2009. The occurrence of syngnathia without any other associated systemic disease or congenital anomaly is extremely rare. This report presents a case of congenital syngnathia with unilateral maxillomandibular bony adhesion without any other oral or maxillofacial anomaly. No recommended protocol for surgery exists due to the rarity of the disorder. There is a very low survival rate for the few patients who have forgone surgical management. This case describes a 74-year-old female patient who was suffering from limitation of mouth opening and was subsequently diagnosed with congenital syngnathia. The surgical staff performed separation surgery and reconstructed the malformed oral vestibule and cheek using the radial forearm free flap operation.

• Oral Biology Research
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.254-261
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• 2018

Reports have it that horizontal and vertical loss of the ridge happens during 6 months after tooth extraction. So valuable ridge preservation techniques are often necessary in the maxillary anterior areas. Maintaining and/or increasing blood supply and stability is essential to graft survival. The objective of this study was to determine the effect on extraction socket seal of pedicle subepithelial connective tissue graft with tunneling on maxillary esthetic zone through healing state for 8 weeks.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.57-61
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• 2021

Immediate implant placement (IIP) in fresh extraction sockets exhibits similar survival and success rates to delayed implant placement in healed sockets. Several advantages of IIP involve shortened total treatment time, reduction of the number of invasive surgeries, and subsequent reduction of patient discomfort due to lack of additional surgeries. The major shortcomings in IIP, however, include the inability to obtain early bony support, presence of a gap between the extraction socket and fixture, and the inability to cover the fixture with soft tissue, leading to increased risk of infection and implant loss. When IIP is performed, atraumatic or minimally traumatic extractions, conservation of the septal bone in molars, minimal flap elevation or flapless surgery, bone grafting the gap between the fixture and the extraction socket, and coverage with soft tissue or a membrane must be considered.

• Journal of the Korean Orthopaedic Association
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.40-48
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• 2017

Purpose: Soft tissue reconstruction of a defect around the foot and ankle is a particularly challenging procedure due to the anatomical and functional characteristics of this area. Hence, only a limited number of treatment options are available. Moreover, if patients wish to avoid additional scars on the ipsilateral lower leg for cosmetic reasons, even fewer options are available for treatment. The authors used an anterolateral thigh perforator flap for soft tissue defects in this area, when other surgical options were inadequate. The aim of this study was to report the clinical results and the efficacy of this procedure. Materials and Methods: Sixteen cases of soft tissue defects around the foot and ankle were included. Participants included 12 male and 4 female subjects, and the mean age was 34 years. The most common cause of defect was acute trauma, and the average follow-up period was 33 months. Flap survival time, surgical complications, and ambulation status at the final follow-up stage were evaluated. Results: All 16 flaps successfully survived, except for one case with partial flap necrosis that was thought to be due to weight bearing earlier than scheduled. All patients were able to walk independently without any aid at the final follow-up stage. No patients showed other significant surgical complications. Conclusion: The anterolateral thigh perforator flap is a good alternative for soft tissue defects of the foot and ankle, when other options are not applicable. This study also demonstrated that surgery using an anterolateral thigh perforator flap is safe and highly reliable.

• Archives of Reconstructive Microsurgery
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.75-78
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• 2015

High-pressure (HP) injection injury to the upper extremity often causes a very serious clinical problem, leading to poor outcomes, including amputation, so that a true surgical emergency is required. The outcomes can be improved with emergent wide surgical debridement. However the diagnosis of these injuries is often delayed due to underestimated evaluation at first appearance and lack of common knowledge of the seriousness of this injury. The type and pressure of the infecting material is an important factor in prognosis and organic solvents infected pressure injury can cause poor outcome and increased amputation rate. In this case, we report on reconstruction of HP oil-based paint injection injuries of the finger using T-shaped pedicles and multiple venous anastomoses. In this concept, arterial flow can be maintained by the reverse flow of distal anastomosis when there is difficulty with the proximal anastomosis. And venous flow can be preserved by deep and superficial vein anastomosis. This concept has various advantages including preserving patency of the pedicle in chronic vasculopathy or trauma cases and maintaining the arterial flow by the reverse flow of distal anastomosis and can improve the free flap survival by a two vascular anastomosis system.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.642-648
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• 2011

Purpose: The recent advances in microsurgical techniques and their refinement over the past decade have greatly expanded the indications for digital replantations and have enabled us to salvage severed fingers more often. Many studies have reported greater than 80% viability rates in replantation surgery with functional results. However, replantation of multi-level amputations still remain a challenging problem and the decision of whether or not to replant an amputated part is difficult even for an experienced reconstructive surgeon because the ultimate functional result is unpredictable. Methods: Between January of 2002 and May of 2008, we treated 10 multi-level amputated digits of 7 patients. After brachial plexus block, meticulous replantation procedure was performed under microscopic magnification. Postoperatively, hand elevation, heat lamp, drug therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy were applied with careful observation of digital circulation. Early rehabilitation protocol was performed for functional improvement. Results: Among the 19 amputated segments of 10 digits, 16 segments survived completely without any complications. Overall survival rate was 84%. Complete necrosis of one finger tip segment and partial necrosis of two distal amputated segments developed and subsequent surgical interventions such as groin flap, local advancement flap and skin graft were performed. The overall result was functionally and aesthetically satisfactory. Conclusion: We experienced successful replantations of multi-level amputated digits. When we encounter a multi-level amputation, the key question is whether or not it is a contraindication to replantation. Despite the demand for skillful microsurgical technique and longer operative time, the authors' results prove it is worth attempting replantations in multi-level amputation because of the superiority in aesthetic and functional results.